Hiyu Wine Farm

Tucked into the hills above the Columbia River Gorge, Hiyu feels less like a winery and more like a world of its own, unfolding at its own pace.

Hiyu Wine Farm was founded by Nate Ready, China Tresemer, Geoff and Colleen Burke. They have shaped these thirty acres into a place where farming, cooking, and winemaking exist in the same conversation. The vineyard blocks hold an unusually broad mix of grape varieties, planted as field blends that grow together and influence one another. Fruit from the farm and from a small circle of neighboring growers become wines that feel deeply tied to this place, shaped by season and soil.

The landscape is layered. Vines weave through gardens and orchards. Animals cross the fields in their own patterns. When we visited, the word stewardship kept coming to mind. Walking the property, you feel how alive it is. Sound, movement, and texture form a natural, lush melody, everything working in a natural, quiet harmony. Every part of the farm is tended with the intention of honoring the rhythms already present on the land rather than overriding them.

The tasting room brings the farm into focus. Meals are offered at a slow, steady pace, with dishes built from whatever is coming out of the garden or being gathered in the pastures that week. Wines are poured in conversation with the food, each glass shifting the experience slightly, revealing a different angle or story of the farm. Visitors are encouraged to step outside between courses, walk the vines, or stand at the edge of the fields and take in the sweep of the valley and Mt Hood.

The wines carry that same sense of place. Many are made in small volumes, layered and thoughtful, shaped by the diversity of the vineyard and the way the fruit is grown. The labels, illustrated by China, add another dimension, filled with imagery that echoes the landscape and the ideas and ethos that guide the farm.

Just an hour from Portland, outside Hood River, visits to Hiyu are available by reservation through the Wine Tavern. Lunch, tastings, and dinner service are offered on select days, each experience designed to give space for wandering, reflection, and connection with the land. It is the kind of place that invites you to arrive slowly, settle in, and let the surroundings shape the day.

For those who want to support the farm in a meaningful way, Hiyu offers Understory, a once a year fall shipment that gathers a year of monthly bottles into a single subscription.

It works much like a CSA for wine, inviting you into the slow rhythm of the farm while helping sustain the thoughtful work happening on the land. Each bottle becomes a small continuation of the seasons, a way to stay connected even from afar. Learn more here: Understory Subscription.